PTA to Hold Spectrum Auction in AJ&K and Gilgit Baltistan on December 4

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has said that it will hold a spectrum auction of wireless local loop (WLL) licenses for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit Baltistan (G-B) regions on December 4 2015.

According to an Information Memorandum (IM) a policy document for the auction on the PTA website the telecom sector’s regulatory body will give two licences of 5 Megahertz (MHz) each in the 1,900MHz band at a base price of Rs 56 million, Rs 12 million and Rs 8 million for Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and northern areas, separately. The 1,900 MHz band is used in both 2G and 4G technology.

PTA to Hold Spectrum Auction in AJ&K and Gilgit Baltistan on December 4

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has also announced to auction two 30MHz unpaired lots in 3.5GHz band at a base price of Rs 8 million, Rs 3.2 million and Rs 3.2 million for Mirpur, Muzaffarabad and northern areas, respectively.

The above mentioned areas were not involved in the spectrum auction of 3G and 4G licences that took place in April 2014, due to their distinctive political status. Gilgit Baltistan is an independent self-governing area with a distinct administrative setup.

The wireless local loop (WLL) licenses give operators the right to offer services within a specified area, unlike 3G and 4G mobile broadband licences, which were given last year to the four telecom operators.